GaN FET power stages support applications up to 10 kW

TI’s family of 600-V GaN FET devices with integrated driver doubles power density in industrial and telecom applications

By Heather Hamilton, contributing writer

Texas
Instruments Inc. (TI) recently released several 600-V gallium-nitride
(GaN) 50-mΩ and 70-mΩ power stages to support applications up to 10 kW. The new
LMG341x family allows designers to create smaller designs that are more
efficient and offer higher performance as compared to silicon field-effect
transistors (FETs) in AC/DC power supplies, robotics, renewable energy, grid
infrastructure, telecom, and personal electronics applications, said the
company.

The
portfolio of GaN FET devices, which the company said is backed by 20 million
hours of reliability testing, offers an alternative to traditional cascade and
standalone GaN FETs. By integrating functional and protection features, TI
simplifies design, enabling greater system reliability and higher performance of
high-voltage power supplies.

Each
device offers a GaN FET, driver, and protection features at 50 mΩ or 70 mΩ to
provide a single-chip solution for applications ranging from sub-100 W to 10
kW. The LMG3410R050, LMG3410R070, and LMG3411R070
devices come complete with integrated <100-ns current limiting and
overtemperature detection and protect against accidental shoot-through events.
They also prevent thermal runaway and, with the help of system interface signals,
facilitate self-monitoring.

The
GaN power stage doubles power density and claims to reduce losses by 80%
compared to silicon MOSFETs. The devices switch frequencies at a rate of 1 MHz
and have a slew rate of up to 100 V/ns.

The LMG3410R050, LMG3410R070, and LMG3411R070,
available in 8 × 8-mm split-pad, QFN packages, are priced at $18.69, $16.45,
and $16.45, respectively, in quantities of 1,000.